The use of touch-sensitive surfaces as input devices for computers and other electronic computing devices has increased significantly in recent years. Exemplary touch-sensitive surfaces include touchpads and touch-screen displays. Such surfaces are widely used to manipulate user interface objects on a display.
For electronic devices that have one or more associated cameras, a camera user interface provides affordances for controlling various camera functions, such as choosing an image recording mode (e.g., photo, video, or panorama recording mode), and choosing when to snap a photo or when start and end a video recording. The camera user interface often includes a live view from a camera that is associated with the electronic device. The live view from the camera helps the user to see the images that are being captured by the camera, and decide whether the images should be recorded and saved as a corresponding media item. The camera user interface may include an affordance for switching between live views from different cameras. A separate media review interface or application is often used when a user wishes to review the media items that have been recorded using the camera user interface.
Current methods for controlling camera functions and reviewing recorded media items are cumbersome and inefficient. For example, using a sequence of inputs to access a desired image recording function or mode causes unacceptable delay and missed opportunities for capturing and recording desirable images. The user is required to make a decision and execute required actions within a very short window of time without sufficient information and assistance from the device, which places undue cognitive burden on the user and increases the chance of user mistakes. Often times, performing one function using the camera user interface (e.g., taking a still photo) will prevent concurrent performance of another function of the camera user interface (e.g., taking a video). In addition, these methods take longer than necessary, thereby wasting energy. This latter consideration is particularly important in battery-operated devices.